


The Terror Of A Dying Prayer

by A_Plethora_Of_Peters



Series: It's Tough To Be A God [5]
Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Allusions to noncon??, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Anxiety, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Canon-Typical Violence, Emetophobia, Eye Trauma, Gen, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Multi, Negative Thoughts, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Sacrificing thoughts, Stalking, Suicidal Thoughts, There's a scene that can read as very sexual but no sex happens, Unwilling Actions due to Magic Compulsions, graphic description of vomiting, magic transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:42:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27609881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Plethora_Of_Peters/pseuds/A_Plethora_Of_Peters
Summary: The past month of wandering with the Storyteller- with Jonny, is both much easier and harder than Brian expected.Ultimately, it all boils down to the fact that Jonny is a God and Brian is... Well he's not exactly human anymore but he's certainly not a God either.
Relationships: Drumbot Brian & Jonny d'Ville, Jonny d'Ville/Gunpowder Tim, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Series: It's Tough To Be A God [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959880
Comments: 58
Kudos: 117





	1. I Watch My Window For The Morning Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Okay a few things before we begin:
> 
> First of all, shout-out DisasterMaster on AO3 (lazyfanphilosopher on Tumblr) [for the absolutely rad fanart of Chapters 2 & 3 for Heretic Pride!](https://lazyfanphilosopher.tumblr.com/post/633437207171039232/two-drawings-i-made-for-the-mechs-fic-heretic) You're amazing and I adore this art and you! If anyone else wants to make fanart or is inspired to write something for this AU please let me know! I am more than happy to include your stuff in this!
> 
> Second of all, all the chapter titles for this story come from [the lyrics to the song Hungry For Another One by JT Music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhskL8O8qzc)
> 
> Thirdly, the song Jonny sings in this chapter is [Oh Death](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efQ9qzl1_5I)
> 
> Thing number four, [this post](https://still-busy-being-mortal.tumblr.com/post/634440145906565120/the-difference-between-jonny-dville-and-gunpowder) summarizes the difference between Jonny's domain of Vengeance and Tim's domain of Revenge perfectly
> 
> TW for this chapter:  
> \- Self-deprecation/self-doubt (Brian has a bad headspace rn)  
> \- negative thought spiral (averted before it can get too bad but still shitty)
> 
> As always, please let me know if you need me to tag anything!

The past month of wandering with the Storyteller- with _Jonny_ is both much easier and harder than Brian expected.

Ultimately, it all boils down to the fact that Jonny is a God and Brian is... Well he's not exactly human anymore but he's certainly not a God either.

Jonny's actions are both confusing and rather nice.

He has told him that he can call him by a mortal name and doesn't get upset when Brian slips up and calls him by his Titles instead. He frivolously uses his powers to make sure that Brian always has a warm blanket to sleep under and a campfire to keep away the dark at night. He will start awkward, stilted conversations about what Brian has done over the years when it's obvious that he doesn't understand most of the scientific stuff Brian talks about, but he listens to him ramble anyway. He freely shares old Stories and Hymns about the rest of his Pantheon that Brian has never heard before or has heard alternate versions of.

It's… nice in a weird way. Brian's so used to being the one that cares for others, he had almost forgotten what it was like to have someone care for his well-being. 

~~_"Brian! It's nearly 2 in the morning! The Baron probably is missing you from His realm!" The person he knows wrinkles their nose at him as they peer at him from the doorway of his room._ ~~

~~_He waves them off, still writing in his journal. "Can't yet. I've almost found a solution to our casting issue. Besides you're still awake-"_ ~~

~~_They snort as they enter the room to swat his arm, claws sheathed for now. "Because I'm a_ **_catfolk_ ** _you idiot! We have different sleeping patterns than stupid humans like you and-!"- a flash of gold and the memory fades-_ ~~

It was admittedly hard for him to imagine Jonny caring for him like this if he hadn't been Blessed with immortality by The Scientist.

It takes that month of travelling together, before Brian abruptly realizes that he has an actual crush on Jonny. 

He's watching Jonny by the light of their campfire that evening as he sings a song that he says was dedicated to Hades a long time ago. He sits next to Brian, close enough that he can feel the power in Jonny's voice reverberating through him as he sings. 

_Oh, Death!_

_Oh, Death!_

_Oh Death!_

_Won't you spare me over another year?_

As he sings of wealth and ruin, of silver and gold, Brian's gaze is drawn to his face.

His eyes are closed, his expression peaceful despite the heavy nature of the song he sings. The firelight catches on his hair turning it a beautiful red gold. It deepens the shadows around his eyes and makes it seem like the dark veins around his eyes are cracks, opening his body to expose an endless void inside him. 

Brian's gaze lingers on his lips forming the rounded shape of an O and a series of thoughts immediately comes to his mind. 

_What would those lips feel like against mine if we kissed? Would his lips be chapped and dry? Would they be soft and plush? I wonder if he would like being kissed by me..._

He starts and leans away from Jonny- when had he gotten so close to him?- as he processes the thoughts, feeling both overheated and freezing at the same time.

Kissing a God? 

Fuck that was very presumptuous of him! 

He was just a random person that had impressed a God on a fluke and had been made immortal because of it. 

Jonny could do far better than him, did do better than him if the stories that he told of the other Gods meant anything- 

"Brian?" Jonny's voice jolts him out of his mental downward spiral. He's looking at Brian concerned. 

Oh no. 

Can he read thoughts?

"I'm fine!" Brian says, smiling as brightly as he could at him. "I like this song for Hades despite the grim lyrics."

Jonny looks doubtfully at him but nods in agreement

Brian nods back and makes a show of stretching as he stands up. "Well that was an oddly relaxing tune. I think I'm going to sleep now."

"... Okay…" Jonny quietly says. "I'll keep watch."

Brian hums softly as he settles down on the bedroll that The Scientist and The Sunshine had packed for him. He ignores the concerned look that Jonny sends him and rolls onto his side, pulling his blanket up to his chin. He looks into the fire as he tries to drift off. 

For the past week he's been seeing three images in the flames: A heart and a rose being approached by a lizard's claw. 

Day by day, the claw has been getting closer to the rose. 

Brian doesn't know exactly what the claw symbolizes but he has a feeling that when the claw reaches the rose-

Well.

That's when Brian is going to die.

~0.0~

Jonny is surprised at how much he enjoys traveling with Brian.

The immortal is shy at first but opens up pretty easily once Jonny prods at him a bit. Within a month of travelling together, he has relaxed around Jonny enough to tentatively tease him about how he's secretly soft for people, especially. He's even bold enough now to throw some sassy remarks about Jonny's attitude problems at him.

What he can't get over though is how selfless and self-conscious Brian is about himself.

He always apologizes when he slips up and calls Jonny by his Titles instead of his Name. He constantly insists that Jonny doesn't have to use his powers to make sure that he has a blanket and campfire at night. He is so goddamn smart, far smarter than Jonny to be sure, but acts as though it's no big deal. He listens attentively to Jonny's Stories and Hymns even though he has probably heard them before.

It's actually… nice caring for someone in the mortal realm besides himself. The last time he did this sort of thing for someone was… well it was back before Tim became a God.

~~_"Hey. D'Ville?"_ ~~

~~_Jonny looked up from where he was cleaning his gun. Bertie was sitting across from him, his own gun disassembled in front of him as he gazed off to the side. Following his line of sight, Jonny can see Tim laughing at another soldier's joke as he got the three of them dinner from the camp cook._ ~~

~~_"Yeah, Tapp?"_ ~~

~~_Bertie looked away from Tim to fix Jonny with a serious look. "You take care of Tim if I can't okay?"_ ~~

~~_Jonny was taken aback. He had only known them for a couple years at this point. Why would Bertie entrust him with such a task? "What? Bertie, you really shouldn't be talking like-"_ ~~

~~_"Promise me." Bertie leaned forward, taking Jonny's wrist in his hand, looking him in the eyes earnestly. "Swear on the Lovers and the Storyteller that if anything happens to me, you will do everything you can to keep him alive and safe."_ ~~

~~_Jonny shivered as his own name was invoked by Bertie. Brown burned into blue as their gazes held. "I-I swear on The Lovers and o-on The Storyteller, that I will keep Tim alive and safe by whatever means I can employ."_ ~~

~~_Bertie had given him one of his brightest smiles and relaxed, nodding. "Thank you, Jonny."_ ~~

~~_A year later, and Jonny was forced to keep his promise, pulling a wailing Tim away from Bertie's rapidly cooling body..._ ~~

Brian is definitely easier to care for than Tim ever was.

Especially since he isn't a reckless idiot like Tim…

Fuck. 

Jonny hates to admit it but he's worried about Tim. That priest from Lennix had called upon Tim as The Terror. Tim hated becoming that thing that thirsted for blood, whose sole desire was killing someone who had crossed someone else.

Yeah, Jonny got like that too when his Wrath was invoked, but the intent is what separated their domains of Vengeance and Revenge from each other. 

Jonny's Vengeance only leveled the playing field. An eye for an eye, a life for a life, a reputation for a reputation. Clean-cut and to the point with lots of planning involved. There was an order to what Jonny did.

There was no order to Tim's Revenge. His tactic is to scorch and salt the earth, to give the people that deserved the harsher punishments inflicted on them their comeuppance. It doesn't matter to The Terror if the targeted person is the true source of the person's pain, or if they are just an innocent caught in the crossfire.

Like Brian had been.

Jonny looks at Brian, sleeping next to the fire.

He is frightened for him. Anyone with a smidge of divine power could see that Brian was marked by The Terror. Which meant that whether he wanted to or not, Tim was coming for Brian.

He swallows roughly, watching blood the color of rust slowly trailing down Brian's cheeks from his closed eyes like tears. 

He can't do anything about it besides cleaning it up before Brian awakens in the morning.

He just hoped he would be with Brian to stop him when The Terror catches up with them...

~0.0~

The Monster is getting close to its prey.

The creature is so hungry. 

It snarls in anger as it finds an abandoned campsite instead of its prey and the Other.

Its bladed tail swept through the remains of a long cold campfire, scattering the ashes across the site.

It’s claws rake into the nearby trees as it howls its displeasure to the sky.

Too late!

It was too late again!

It stews in its anger as it paces.

For the past month it has been stalking its prey only for them to slip from between it’s claws every time it gets close enough to catch them! 

That awful soft _human_ part buried deep inside of it is relieved, but that part is quickly squashed by the Monster. 

It has no time for such things.

It has a Hunt to complete.

It growls and turns in a circle as it scents the air, searching for the trail of its prey.

It makes an appreciative noise as it realizes that the prey and the Other are heading for a city now.

Cities were always a good challenge to track someone in.

So many conflicting scents and sounds and sights to try and confuse it.

It knows it will have to take the form of it’s softer counterpart to be allowed into the city, but it will be worth it to taste the flesh of its prey and drink their blood...


	2. You Took A Fall Into The Maw/Where Hunger's Always Peaking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for this chapter:  
> \- non-graphic panic attack/PTSD flashback (Brian is not having a good time)   
> \- stalking (the Terror follows them out of town and waits until Brian is alone to attack him)  
> \- Body horror (Monster Tim is terrifying to behold)   
> \- self-harm (the Monster hurts itself to punish Tim for feeling sympathy for Brian)   
> \- graphic eye trauma description (Monster Tim is fucked up)

Jonny has to admit that Shiz is an impressively huge city.

Massive buildings, most of them crafted from stone, towered overhead though there were a few newer ones made of metal and glass as well. There are statues of famous people that Jonny immediately knows the Stories of as soon as he sees them- the city founder, an important dignitary, a charitable person who they immortalized with a statue, a local folk hero- every few blocks. There's a fairly large city park towards the center of the bustling cith that is teeming with magical wildlife of various kinds. 

There were Stories everywhere he looked and he was actually glad that Brian was with him, otherwise he'd probably get lost in them all.

Speaking of Brian, he notices that the immortal relaxes once they enter the city. It is almost eerie, seeing how easily he blends into the crowd, walking amongst the diverse peoples surrounding them. Hard to believe that he had almost gotten killed a month ago.

Though, now that Jonny is actively watching him, he does seem a bit on edge at the same time. He flinches when people get a bit too close and loud around them, especially if he can't see the people in question. When they pass by a florist, Brian's pace picks up and when Jonny gives him a confused look, he mutters something about needing food more than flowers. He stuck towards the shade more than the sun which considering it was late summer now and the heat could be really oppressive, Jonny isn't very surprised by that choice.

Alone these traits were just odd habits. All of these things together though, puts him on edge. So the whole time they're shopping for food and supplies- thank fuck Nastya and Raphaella included Brian's lockbox of money when they packed his bag for him- he keeps an eye on Brian, just to be safe.

It's only when they pass the doorway to one of Ashes' temples that things finally reach a breaking point.

Jonny watches as Brian freezes just ahead of him. He just stops dead in his tracks. 

Jonny almost collides with him and frowns, confused as to why he just stopped. "Brian?" He moves to get a better look at his face.

Brian looks terrified, gazing through Jonny rather than at him, as his breaths start speeding up. They're getting a few weird looks but a glare from Jonny is enough to make the gawkers mind their own business. There's a slight breeze and he abruptly knows what set Brian off like this.

The air here is thick with the scent of incense and the distant sound of prayers to the Burning One.

He mutters a curse and takes Brian's trembling hands in his own. "Hey. It's okay. You're fine." 

Brian flinches at first at the contact before he registers that it's Jonny. He steps closer to Jonny with a soft noise of relief, his eyes closing. This close, he can hear Brian mumbling to himself.

"I'm okay. I'm safe. Not on the gallows. Not going to be hung. Jonny's here so I am safe."

Jonny's heart sinks, hearing his words. He keeps up his gentle reassurances as he swiftly leads Brian away to a tea shop nearby. He sits down at an outdoor table with him and rubs his hands gently. 

A server gives them both a worried look and pops inside the shop. It wasn't long before they came back out with a citrus smelling tea. "For your companion's nerves." They quietly said, nodding to Brian who has slumped forwards, leaning his head against Jonny's shoulder.

Jonny gives them a grateful nod, noting as they leave that they were Blessed by Marius. Probably used their Blessing to help people in situations like this all the time. He made a note to tell Marius to give them something else that is nice as thanks.

"Hey Brian." He picks up the tea and cools it down to drinking temperature. "Think you can stomach some tea?"

Brian shifts his head to look at the mug and glances up at him before he nods. Jonny's heart aches watching him sit up and take the tea in shaking hands. Without thinking, he reaches out and steadies his hands with his own.

Brian blushes and murmurs his thanks as he lifts the mug to his lips and sips. Immediately, Jonny can see the tension leech out of him and he hums happily. 

"Mmmm… lemon tea with honey." He softly says. His eyes are unfocused again but in a different way than before. Jonny swears that he sees Brian's brown eyes glow golden briefly before they refocus on Jonny.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me-" He tries to apologize.

Jonny shakes his head and squeezes his hands gently. "It's okay Brian. You literally went through a traumatic experience only a month ago. I'm honestly surprised that it took this long for you to have a severe flashback."

Brian flinches at the reminder and sips more of the tea, to avoid speaking. Jonny gets that feeling.

"It's a completely valid reaction to have." Jonny continues to try and assure him. "That… He smelled like incense since he was a High Priest and he invoked Hades' name to try and condemn you. You're going to be sensitive to that sort of thing for a while."

Brian jerkily nods and softly says. "You… You speak as though you know…?"

"Of course I know. The Scientist scared me and the others before Tim because she reminded us of _Her_." Jonny shivers at the memories- _~~I just want to help you Jonathan. I want you to have a new chance to live, to have a proper family that cares for and loves you~~ _\- before he quietly says. "Time helps. It's only been a month for you. It has been centuries for me."

Brian gives him a strange look. It's full of curiosity and sympathy and something else, maybe anger?

Whatever it was, it made Jonny's stomach twist up inside of him.

Jonny distracts him by nudging his tea back to his lips. He stares at Brian until he starts sipping the tea again. "In any case, you probably need to rest so once you're done with the tea, we'll tip the server and then leave Shiz to make camp outside the city limits."

Brian's eyebrows furrow at Jonny's words. "Why?" He asks once the mug is lowered from his face again.

"Because you already have all the food you need, and I doubt you will be comfortable staying in a hotel for the night no matter how tempting a bed is." Jonny almost adds that worst comes to worst they could sleep in his Realm but immediately shoves that idea away.

Why would Brian would want to come to his Realm with him?

"I… suppose that's true." Brian concedes. "I did want to get other things too though. Some new clothes. Maybe some books- not that your stories aren't interesting!" 

Jonny internally sighed at the immediate backtracking. He didn't get why Brian kept flip-flopping between fearing him and being bold with him. He wasn't that intimidating… was he?

Instead he says out loud. "We can come back into the city tomorrow if you want. You probably should get some rest though. Panic attacks take a lot out of people."

Brian opens his mouth as if he's going to protest and then visibly reconsiders.

"... Point taken…" He sighs.

Jonny nods and gestures for him to drink up the rest of the tea. 

As Brian drinks, Jonny gets a weird feeling. Like someone is staring at him. When he scans the crowd though, no one is looking at either of them.

He still feels uneasy as he leaves some gold coins for the server under Brian's empty mug and they head for the outer bounds of Shiz...

~0.0~

The Monster grins in triumph.

The Other is stupid. 

He doesn't look up to see it watching them hungrily from the rooftops.

It had to surrender its more powerful form to sneak into this city but it is delighted by the challenge Hunting in this form presents.

Once the prey and the Other get moving again, it drops from the roof into an alley and starts carefully stalking them.

It delights in the fearful glances that its prey makes as they keep looking around uneasily.

It knows they spot it several times, but they never point it out to the Other.

How delightful! 

It could purr for joy, watching them flee the city before it.

Yes, this Hunt was a fun one!

~0.0~

They have lost the man that was stalking them. 

Brian had noticed the man- a follower of the Soldier if Brian recalled the long coat that he had been dressed in- in the crowd who stalking them from the tea shop all the way to the outskirts of Shiz. He didn't say anything about him to Jonny, thinking it was just a coincidence despite the bad feelings it gave him.

The glimpses of his face that Brian had caught were very handsome though...

The sun is low in the sky by the time they make it back to the campsite.

Brian has to admit that he is tired as he sets down his bag. He looks at Jonny to ask him if he wants some food now so they can sleep immediately afterwards and pauses.

The God is looking back towards the city with a distant look on his face as if he's listening to something.

"Jonny?" He calls to him. "Jonny what's wrong?"

Jonny shakes himself, blinking at Brian confused for a few moments.

The confusion clears and he says. "Someone in Shiz is praying for assistance. They need help."

Brian blinks at him in response. This was… new. Jonny had admitted before that he usually answered prayers while Brian was sleeping since most were small things. 

This had to be something big and important though to catch Jonny's attention like this.

"You should go to them." Brian seriously tells him. "If you're noticing it now, it must be important."

Jonny twitches slightly, fidgeting in place. "You really think so?" He looks worried at Brian.

"Yes. I'll be fine on my own while you go answer the prayer. Was actually just going to make up a campfire, eat, and then go to sleep."

His words seem to give Jonny confidence.

"Yeah… yeah you'll be fine on your own for an hour or so…" He slowly nods to himself before going over to Brian. He stands up on tip-toes and lightly kisses his forehead. "Be back as soon as I can."

And like that, he's gone.

Brian stares at the space where Jonny had been standing for a bit. 

He had kissed him. 

A platonic forehead kiss but still. Jonny had kissed him. He lifted a hand to gently touch where he had been kissed. It feels warm the same way his heart does whenever he uses the gift that The Scientist had given him.

He smiles softly. 

Perhaps Jonny would have cared for him if he wasn't immortal anyways.

Without much else to do, Brian starts collecting firewood for their campfire that night. He hums to himself as he works, not paying much attention to his surroundings.

At least at first. 

He has a good pile of dead fall stacked beside the fire-pit when he stops humming and starts listening. 

The woods are silent. The summer insects are no longer chirping and buzzing in the grass and air. The birds have ceased their twittering arguments in the bushes. Not even the trees are making any noise, the air eerily still.

He frowns as he hears… something coming from deeper in the woods.

Is that… singing?

Not just one person singing either, but a bunch of people. It would sound like an ordinary choir if it wasn't for the strange echo to the voices as well as the subject matter of what was being sung. His blood runs cold as he listens to the eerie chorus sing slowly, the sound of their voices getting closer and closer.

_Gassed last night_

_And gassed the night before_

_Gonna be gassed tonight if we're ne'er gassed no more_

_When you're gassed_

_You're sick as you can be_

_Cause novichok and mustard gas are much, too much for me!_

Brian is frozen as he stares at what he initially thinks is a flightless dragon of some sort, emerging through the trees. It's mostly the tail, long and snaking with a bladed tip that makes him think dragon at first. It takes him far too long to realize that the creature is the wrong shape to be a dragon, even a baby one. It's bipedal for one thing and stands roughly 2 or 3 feet taller than Brian. Whatever it is, it's also extremely thin as if it is starving, bones protruding through its scaled skin. It sways as it walks, its massive head sweeping from left to right, obviously searching for something.

_They're choking us!_

_They're choking us!_

_One respirator and it broke on us!_

_Thank your lucky stars that the pumps still work!_

_Cause coughing up your lungs can be a chore!_

His heart pounds as it steps close enough for him to see that it has a head that is shaped like a weird sort of dog's behind the spikes edging it. Sharp needle-like teeth line the inside of its mouth which somehow sings with many voices at once. To his surprise, along with scales it has fur too. Wild thick curly brown fur that is tangled and crusted with blood trails from its head down its spine to the base of its spined tail. As he watches, it lifts one clawed hand up to push some out of its face. It's eerie how human that small gesture makes it seem.

_Cooked last night,_

_And cooked the night before_

_Gonna be cooked tonight if we're ne'er cooked no more_

_When you're cooked_

_You're hot as you can be_

_'Cause the Kaiser wants to microwave the British Infantry!_

He covers his mouth as the thing stops a meter away from him and stops its singing to growl, its head tilting one way and then another. He sends a grateful prayer to The Archivist that he is downwind and therefore it can't smell him. It makes a noise that reminds Brian of an animal in pain as it trembles, clawing at the ground with one foot. It shakes its head and claws at itself briefly, raking deep furrows into its own hide that ooze rust colored blood, snarling angrily. After a few moments, it resumes singing its song.

_They're boiling us!_

_They're boiling us!_

_One lead sheet between the four of us!_

_Thank your lucky stars that you taste… so… good…_

_Cause you wouldn't want your corpse..._

It trails off as it tilts its head again, looking vaguely in Brian's direction.

It is obviously now listening for him and Brian can see that it's for a good reason.

This creature has no eyes.

Gaping bloody holes sit where eyes should be in its face, weeping thick trails of its strange rusty red blood. It looks as if it clawed its own eyes out and the blood just never stopped flowing. The blood courses down its cheeks and clumps in its fur on it's jaw.

No.

Not fur.

_Hair_. 

This close he can see the distinct pattern of a beard on its jaw, now caked with blood and dirt. Brian's both terrified and saddened by the idea that this monster was once a human. What could have happened to twist someone into something so horrible?

The monster whispers one last line for the song. 

_To go to waste…_

It listens intently before it makes a rattling noise that Brian can only assume is a sigh- Of relief? Of irritation?- before it turns away and starts to walk off.

Brian lowers his hand from his mouth and carefully takes a step back.

_**C R A C K** _

He looks down to see that he has stepped on and broke one of the branches he had collected for firewood. He looks up in fear to meet the sightless gaze of the monster. It grins at him and he inhales sharply as it croons at him in a chorus of voices. Its mouth opens downwards and then apart, the lower jaw splitting into three distinct sections.

" _Found you_ ~!"

Brian doesn't think. He just turns tail and sprints away. He hears the creature laugh behind him and he shudders at the echoing mocking noise.

He can hear it crashing through the undergrowth after him.

The Hunt has begun...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shiz is the name of the college in Wicked where Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West) and Galinda (Glinda) meet and go to school at
> 
> The tea server isn't going to show up again but I thought you might want to know that the Blessing of The Baron (Marius) that they have is that they can see what sort of beverage comforts someone when they are upset/stressed/sad/etc. and they can prepare it precisely as the person in need of comfort requires
> 
> The Monster OFC sings the Gassed Last Night sequence from GTVSMK but at a much slower speed (think horror movie recitations of various nursery rhymes kind of slow paced)
> 
> Monster Tim's design was mostly inspired by [this Xenomorph-human hybrid picture](https://www.deviantart.com/gemmingi/art/Human-Xenomorph-543084319) as well as [the vampire dogs from the Blade Trinity movie](http://paulrherndon.com/conceptualArt/bladeDog_1.html) and [a certain chimera](https://mugenarchive.com/w/images/thumb/7/70/Tuckerandnina.jpg/255px-Tuckerandnina.jpg?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=b199cb4226fdb2d308548cce8e36430998b73e55-1605995989-0-AfxhjDApPsmIzUBhyGDn-l097hAOJqLKUhN6arAsE2OP5Qp6t6ipU4_rKhl9iL0cNazIm74F0ztO-UGxBZpgDYE4Zk58LnjIJZ4gfR7-HOhuKIKiEa-DWWERvnckRudhJrfjG4Z6wi2n5CTTMFJNjyvUBSqNtlMzvqaI2EgO6ybLtwBcLH8tXjhGrPLGaI6LemcA-DScM3ryBrtBq67AjJsKe0_pGunq1hwir4F8yIMMKYMxLalvYMdcK8zRQiNx6k8mH6pIyKWyDJeZ9c6d8zNYCKUrY70qXL2OGrmf1LAgOf2HIkTAn64sX8rJnZI_NelsO1nEBFM4AGxhs085MHfkb41b94PysYA3bJuhA-3JsP85hZjfh0u8NxmbmazYpZP6Lww2SitrHyNKbOfUPMk) from a [certain anime](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/fma/images/3/38/Nina-profile.png/revision/latest?cb=20181221231634) :)


	3. Oh Mirror Mirror, How The Face You Show Disgusts Me/Find Me A Child Whose Youth My Heart Is Hungry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for this chapter:  
> \- stalking (The Terror hunts down Brian)   
> \- Body horror (Monster Tim is terrifying along with Jonny's exposed heart and Tim changing back into hiis human form while not too detailed it's still pretty unnerving)   
> \- self-harm (the Monster hurts itself to punish Tim for feeling sympathy for Brian)   
> \- graphic eye trauma description (Again Monster Tim is fucked up)  
> \- gore/violence (The Terror attacks Brian and claws up his arm as well as choking him)  
> \- There's a bit where The Terror licks tears off of Brian's cheeks that has kinda sexual undertones to it so be wary of that   
> \- description of gun injury (The Terror takes three bullets and keeps going)  
> \- Magicial orders that cannot be disobeyed dispite attempts to break free  
> \- Brief moments where self-sacrificing thoughts that are taken as suicidal thoughts (Jonny is very worried about Brian's current mental state and he's admittedly not that far off the mark)   
> \- emetophobia (Tim vomits up gross bloody shit as he changes from a Monster back into a human) 
> 
> As always, tell me if I missed anything to tag!

The Monster chases its prey through the woods gleefully. 

The familiar rush of bloodlust sings through its veins as it speeds up its pace. 

The prey is alone now. 

The bothersome Other won't be around to stop the Monster from its feast.

It can't resist a howl of savage joy as it leaps at its catch, hungry for blood.

The prey narrowly dodges away from it, leaping and tumbling to the side. 

It can feel the terror he has inside him as he stares up at the creature standing where he would have been.

The Monster growls playfully as its prey scrambles to his feet. 

He turns to escape.

For a moment, it lets him.

A Hunt wouldn't be any fun if it caught the prey right away after all. 

It crouches and leaps over his head to land in front of the now trapped prey.

It delights as he staggers to a halt and flinches back from the Monster.

It can sense how he looks around frantically for an opening, a chance to slip away, as it drops onto all fours to circle around him.

" _ Hello rabbit _ ." It croons to him. " _ You and the Other have led me on a very fine chase for so long _ ."

It purposefully leaves an open point in its movements for the prey to try and take advantage of.

It can feel the exact moment he spots it, and he doesn't waste any time trying to sprint away from it.

It laughs and leaps at him. 

It rakes its claws down his arm, shoulder to elbow, and very nearly tackles him to the ground in the process. 

His loud cry of pain as he falls to his knees is pleasing to it.

It licks his sweet blood- what is that delightful tang to his blood? It has tasted it before but where- from its claws as it senses him staggering back up and away from it.

It lets him go for the moment.

The prey clutches his arm and whimpers in pain, looking up at it in fear.

It purrs, closing the distance between them in just a few steps.

He shudders as it lifts a claw to caress his jaw. " _ What's wrong, little rabbit? Are you afraid of me?" _

"W-Who are you?" The prey asks.

He is full of fear but there's something else there too.

He smells of sympathy, of sorrow.

_ He is a good man… _ The human part of it whispers.  _ He doesn't deserve to die… _

It growls and digs the claws of it's free hand into its chest and pulls, ignoring its blood that spills to the grass below.

The human part of it keens in pain and falls silent.

Its prey trembles, frozen in fear of it.

" _ You know who I am, Witch of Lennix _ ." It shifts its hand from his jaw to lightly stroke his hair once before roughly grabbing the frizzy strands in one massive fist and yanking his head to the side roughly.

He cries out again, and it can smell his tears falling down his cheeks like summer rain.

It leans in and laps up the tears with a barbed tongue eagerly.

The salt and fear in his tears taste as sweet as sugar to it.

It can feel him weakly shoving at it, trying to push it away as more tears and fresh blood trickles down his cheeks from where its tongue has cut him open.

It can feel its power grow as the blood courses down his cheeks much like its own twin trails of blood.

It laughs cruelly and pulls on his hair again, this time using the motion to push him down to his knees and bare his throat to it.

" _ Such a marvelous voice _ ." It tells him, as it runs the claws of its other hand lightly up and down his throat. It feels him swallow against its claws. " _ It will make a lovely addition to my own _ ."

"P-Please…" He whimpers, his hands lifting to grab at its hand in his hair. "Y-You don't have to do this, Passionate One-"

He chokes as the hand at his throat easily wraps around his neck and squeezes lightly to silence him.

He whimpers as it pulls him in close and screeches in his face. " ** _No_** _! I am_ ** _not_** _The Passionate! I am_ ** _not_** _The Soldier! I am_ ** _The Terror_** _!_ ** _And_** **_you! Will! Fear! Me!_** "

It starts squeezing harder as it tells him its name.

The Witch of Lennix begins to choke, his hands clawing uselessly at its hands.

It laughs at his feeble attempts to escape.

It relishes the feeling of his pulse beneath its palm, of his windpipe slowly caving in as it squeezes his throat tighter and tighter.

Three shots ring out from the shadows under the trees.

The hand around its prey's throat releases him and lets the prey gasp and choke for air as the first bullet is buried in its wrist.

Its hand in his hair releases, letting him drop to the forest floor, as a second bullet strikes it in the bicep.

The third bullet catches it in the side of the head, spraying rust and bone everywhere, but it shakes that shot off easily.

It turns to snarl at the one being with the balls to attack it while it is Hunting.

The Other is here again.

The Storyteller, with his heart of iron and copper, points a smoking gun and bares his teeth at it.

" **_Get. Back._ ** "

~0.0~

Jonny is hiding his face in his hands and trying not to scream.

What was he thinking!?

He just kissed Brian! Yes, it was a fairly platonic kiss, but he still should've asked first! God he was such a creep! Fuck he was going to have to apologize to Brian later. But could he really apologize for something that he doesn't regret? Especially since Brian's skin had been so soft and warm beneath his lips and he could feel the Divine Seed growing deep and slow inside him-

"Do You need another moment to collect Yourself, my Lord?" His Warlock's amused voice cuts through his thoughts.

He groans loudly in response and lifts one hand off of his face to flip him off. 

Hugo Matthias Wobbleburg (The Educated) chuckles at him from across his writing desk which Jonny is perched on the edge of. Today he's wearing the face of a Tortle who has decorated his shell with gilding. Tomorrow? Who knows what he will be. 

Changelings are weird like that.

"What did you need me for Wobbles?" Jonny huffs lowering his hand from his face to glower at him.

"No need to resort to childish names, Storyteller." Hugo teases him, raising an eyebrow before saying. "There is a story coming in from farther west. A story of a Witch that was saved on the gallows from death by a certain God of Wrath."

Jonny examines his nails to avoid looking at Hugo. He really needed to get them redone. The paint was chipped and the tips were looking a bit ragged-

"They say You called a lightning strike down on the city and destroyed the gallows… While You both were still on it." He gleefully adds.

Jonny looks up from his nails to glare indignantly at him. "They said  **what** ?! I wasn't that reckless! All I did was cause a rain storm! … I may have also killed a man, but that was something completely separate!"

Hugo smiles widely and calmly gestures to the open notebook before him. "Then detail what really happened to me. If You tell me the True Story, it will be good for Your reputation as well as for the Witch You saved."

"Brian isn't a Witch, he's just a really good doctor." Jonny huffs, blushing.

"Oh! His name is  _ Brian _ , is it?" Hugo's grin is wide and teasing.

Jonny really hated that the Power he had granted Hugo was Increased Perception.

"I will curse you to only be able to take the form of a Slime, you awful creature."

"So You have threatened me before, my Lord. Now please, tell me Your Story."

Jonny huffs and adjusts his position on the edge of the desk before starting to tell Hugo what actually went down in Lennix. It actually felt good to get the Story out. He could trust Hugo to get the proper story out there.

Hugo, he can tell, is outraged at the callous behavior of the townsfolk and he knows that the Changeling will not hesitate to hammer home how awful they were to Brian. 

Maybe this Story would be the start of Brian's Ascension proper-

Jonny cuts himself off mid-sentence and thought as the magic alarm that he’d stitched into Brian’s coat activates. Pain lances through Jonny's left arm and he teleports away from Hugo's office without thinking of warning him of his departure.

He feels like screaming when he looks around the torn up campsite. Brian's bag is battered and it had been obviously knocked to the side by something but it's otherwise intact. There is also a pile of broken sticks next to the firepit that something with massive claws had crushed. His jaw clenches tight as he spots a trail of red poppies leading deeper into the woods. 

Tim has been through here.

He sprints after the trail, reading the Story in the tracks-

- _ a chase -a tumble to dodge a pounce -the movement of cornered prey frantically searching for a way out -an attempted escape -a lunge that injured the prey _ -

There.

Jonny sees Brian on his knees before The Terror. Blood and tears mingles on his cheeks as he pleads something at The Terror, trying to pry its claws in his hair open. 

He watches Brian choke as it screeches at him, closing a massive clawed hand around his throat. " ** _No_** _! I am_ ** _not_** _The Passionate! I am_ ** _not_** _The Soldier! I am_ ** _The Terror_** _!_ ** _And_** **_you! Will! Fear! Me!_** "

Brian clutches at its claw around his throat as it laughs at his attempts to escape.

Jonny draws and fires his gun without thinking.

Once- The Terror's right wrist to make it release Brian's neck.

Twice- The Terror's left bicep to make it drop him to the ground.

Thrice- The Terror's temple to catch its attention.

It turns towards him and snarls a challenge.

He glares at it and draws on the connection he had with Tim as the one to make him a God.

" **_Get. Back._ ** " He Orders it.

It snarls and shakes like a dog, but it cannot resist his Order and it reluctantly backs away from him. 

Jonny keeps his gun trained on it as he hurries to Brian's side. His blood boils seeing the deep gashes in his arm and the bruises around his throat. He gently helps Brian to his feet.

"J-Jonny. Y-You need to run. H-He's not after you. I-I'll be fine." Brian croaks out.

Jonny gives him a worried look. He looks resigned to his fate. Did Brian want to die? He had said before that he had no one to go back to, no home to call his own...

Fuck that noise.

"I'm not going to let it kill you." Jonny says, looking back at The Terror. 

It is pacing and when it senses that Jonny is looking at it, it stops and growls at him. " _ Move, D'Ville! That little rabbit is my prey! _ "

Jonny can hear Brian whisper beside him. "D'Ville?"

He ignores him and says. "What has Brian done wrong?"

The Terror opens its mouth wide and laughs at him.

" _ You know what he has done, Storyteller! You were there! You were the one to save the Witch of Lennix from those that summoned me _ !"

Jonny's heart sinks at its words. He hadn't killed Zoroaster in time. The man's invocation combined with his death and the prayers of the townsfolk for protection made for an insanely strong compulsion. 

Tim couldn't fight The Terror off on his own.

Luckily Jonny had called Tim back from the brink before and he could do it again.

He pushes Brian back behind him as he steps forward. 

He calls out to it. " **_Timothy Ambrose Pulver_ ** ."

The Terror shudders and its body twists as it drops onto all fours. It wails at him. " _ Stop! You're hurting us! _ "

He Knows he is hurting it. He doesn't want to hurt Tim, no matter what form he is in. But... 

But he can't let it kill Brian. His Story is just beginning and he won't let it end here. Jonny won't allow it to destroy a new God before he even got the chance to be one.

" **_Timothy Ambrose Pulver, hear-_ ** "

He is cut off as its tail flashes through the air and rips his chest open…

~0.0~

Brian is horrified to learn that the creature stalking him is The Terror, an aspect of The Soldier meant to exact revenge on people. 

When it calls him the Witch of Lennix, his heart sinks.

Did they really hate him so much? Was he really so feared by them? He struggles against him because instinct said to stay alive but if this was his fate…

He doesn't like the look of disbelief that Jonny gives him when he tells him to run, that he'll be fine.

He knows it's a lie but it's doubtful that The Terror will stop, that The Soldier will return, unless he dies. Jonny just shakes his head and pushes Brian behind himself as he steps forward. 

Brian blinks as Jonny calls out. " **_Timothy Ambrose Pulver_ ** ."

Who on earth is-

The Terror drops onto all fours and wails, writhing in obvious pain. " _ Stop! You're hurting us _ !"

Oh.

Brian blushes, looking away from them for a moment.

He just heard Jonny say The Terror's name, The Soldier's name. 

His True Name.

When he looks back at them, Jonny's expression is determined, but also full of pity as he takes a couple steps closer to The Terror.

" **_Timothy Ambrose Pulver, hear_ ** -"

Brian cries out in alarm as The Terror's bladed tail lashes out and pierces Jonny's chest. He almost comes closer but Jonny holds up his arm to stop him. 

He stares in mixed horror and awe as Jonny looks back at him.

The blood that gushes from Jonny's chest and drips from his mouth has the appearance of shiny liquid gold and it steams when it hits the open air as if it's heated as well. Where the droplets fall to the ground, yellow mums and dahlias bloom mingling with the red poppies and gladioli already present from The Terror's blood.

The Terror's tail withdraws from his chest with a slick squish. Jonny grunts softly in pain, swaying where he stands, but he stays on his feet. Through the hole in his chest, Brian can see a fist sized object gleaming in Jonny's chest. 

Abruptly he realizes that it's a realistic heart made of steel and copper, gushing his ichor from a tear in the side of it. As he watches the tear slowly seals itself, leaving no sign of injury behind.

Jonny ignores the slowly shrinking hole in his chest and reaches out to touch gold smeared hands to The Terror's face. Softly he calls out again. " **_Timothy Ambrose Pulver, hear my voice and come back to me._ ** "

The Terror's mouth opens up like a grotesque flower of flesh and he roars in Jonny's face. " _ YOU ARE  _ **_HURTING_ ** _ US _ !"

Jonny doesn't even flinch at the noise which makes Brian cover his ears from the volume.

" **_Timothy Ambrose Pulver, hear my song, and come back to me_ ** ." He calmly Orders it.

He takes a deep breath and starts singing.

_ I wish I was on yonder hill _

_ 'Tis there I'd sit and cry my fill _

_ Until every tear would turn a mill _

_ Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán _

_ Siúil, siúil, siúil a rún _

_ Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin _

_ Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom _

_ Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán _

The Terror claws at the ground, uprooting the flowers around him. He roars again, a wordless noise of pain this time. He cannot drown out Jonny's voice as he continues to sing.

_ I'll sell my rock, I'll sell my reel _

_ I'll sell my only spinning wheel _

_ To buy my love a sword of steel _

_ Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán _

_ Siúil, siúil, siúil a rún _

_ Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin _

_ Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom _

_ Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán _

Brian can't help but feel… fond of the song Jonny is singing. It's familiar to him-  ~~ the one that is related to him leans against him as he plucks the tune on his guitar and they sing the song along with him- a flash of gold and he forgets- ~~ but he supposes that's mostly because he understands the Gaelic words being spoken.

_ I'll dye my petticoats, I'll dye them red _

_ And 'round the world I'll beg my bread _

_ Until my parents shall wish me dead _

_ Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán _

_ Siúil, siúil, siúil a rún _

_ Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin _

_ Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom _

_ Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán _

As Jonny sings of dying petticoats red, The Terror makes an awful choking noise before his mouth flies open and he vomits a thick stream of something so dark a red it looks black. Brian gags, lifting an arm to his face to try and block out the awful stench of rotting meat and days old blood. The Terror staggers and collapses onto his side, whimpering like an animal in pain.

_ I wish, I wish, I wish in vain _

_ I wish I had my heart again _

_ And vainly think I'd not complain _

_ Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán _

_ Siúil, siúil, siúil a rún _

_ Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin _

_ Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom _

_ Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán _

Jonny keeps singing as he slowly kneels down in front of The Terror. The creature claws at himself as he twists about, an awful crackling noise filling the air as his claws pierce his own skin. Instead of just blood, large chunks of scaled hide peel away steadily under his claws. Soon, a still frightening but more human looking person is laying in the scraps of what was once The Terror. 

The Soldier chokes and vomits more of the foul mixture before croaking.  "J-Jonny… W-Why are you protecting him?" 

His voice still echoes faintly with the other voices but a single hoarse voice is more recognizable than all the others. Brian can see that his hair is matted with blood and he has one metal eye and one gaping hole where his other eye should be. His skin is patchy with scales in spots and his jaw is hanging weird as the bones fuse back together into a proper human shape.

_ But now my love has gone to France _

_ To try his fortune to advance _

_ If he e'er comes back, 'tis but a chance _

_ Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán _

_ Siúil, siúil, siúil a rún _

_ Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin _

_ Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom _

_ Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán _

Jonny doesn't answer him, can't answer him.  Not while he still sings.  Brian shudders and looks away as The Soldier- he's not The Terror anymore, can't be if he's calling Jonny by his name- wails in agony. The cracking sound is louder and now Brian can recognize it as bones crunching and grinding against each other.

Eventually the cracking and the screams die down and all Brian can hear besides Jonny singing the song from the beginning again is a soft sobbing in pain. 

Brian musters his courage and looks over to see that Jonny is fumbling with one of his belts, a wide one that hangs diagonally across his hips. As he watches, Jonny pulls it off and puts it over The Soldier's eyes like a blindfold. 

Once he is unable to see, the bloodied naked God goes limp against Jonny like a puppet with its strings cut.

Jonny stops singing and rests their foreheads together and whispers something that makes The Soldier's lips quirk into a small tired smile.

A smile that fades as Brian cautiously steps closer...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Hugo Matthias Wobbleburg is inspired by the character of H.M. Wobble-Bug T.E. (Highly Magnified, Thoroughly Educated) from Baum's OZ series  
> ~ poppies are remembrance, yellow mums are for an unrequited or sorrowful love, yellow dahlias are for used for a commitment forever between two people, gladioli represent strength of character, sincerity, and integrity  
> ~ The song Jonny sings to bring Tim back to himself is [Siúil A Rún (Sool a roon)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogdxae_2uj4), a traditional Irish song about a woman supporting her love who is a soldier but also her worry for his safety


	4. Give Me A Hug, Tell Me It's Alright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW:  
> \- Aftermath of Body transformation (descriptions of the pain that Tim is in)  
> \- Brief mention of self-harm (Monster hurting itself physically to punish Tim)  
> \- Self-blame (Brian tries blaming Tim becoming The Terror on himself)  
> \- brief description of torture (Tim thinks of what Raph could have done to him if he had successfully killed Brian)  
> 

His body hurts and he can't see. He knows this is good. If he hurts, then it must be hurt as well. If he can't see, then it can't see either. 

He can hear it howling in his head, demanding- 

~~_Let us back out- The prey is still out there- W_ ** _e_ ** _need to kill_ **_our_ ** _prey_ -~~

Gentle familiar hands touch his cheeks and hold him close. The Monster hisses at the unseen person but he doesn't focus on it. A warm breath ghosts over his face as his forehead is pressed against ~~_the Other's_~~ Jonny's forehead. 

The older God gently whispers to him. "It's okay. I'm right here, _mi cariñe_. I'm not going to leave you." His thumbs rub over his cheekbones soothingly.

His skin tingles where Jonny's skin touches his own.

He can only muster a small smile, the faintest curling of his lips, in response. 

His whole face hurts with even that tiny motion. Actually his whole body hurts so much he can barely move. His skin feels raw like he has been dragged across acres of thorns behind a galloping horse. His bones ache as if molten metal had been used to glue them back together. His fingers and jaws throb with a sharp burning stab of pain where every claw and fang had fallen out and were replaced with ~~_dull useless weak_~~ nails and teeth. 

His eyes hurt him the most. Even now he can feel his metal eyeballs grating against the bone inside his sockets that are desperate to reject them. 

His smile fades and he tenses as he hears footsteps carefully approach them. They stop and someone- _~~the prey scared little rabbit~~ _\- softly speaks.

"Are- Is The Soldier okay?"

He's put a bit on edge at the sound of the _~~prey's~~_ stranger's voice. 

But that name…

The Soldier?

Why is that…?

Oh.

That's right. 

That's who he is. He is The Soldier, The Passionate. His birth name is Timothy but he prefers to be called Tim by his _~~rivals~~_ friends. The people that ~~_fear_~~ worship him call him Gunpowder after the substance that sings its brutal song to him.

The Monster growls at him as he shoves it further back, bolstered by the pulse of Belief from…

Well Tim doesn't know the Witch's real name and the Monster is now angry with him- when isn't it angry though?- and is not inclined to share what Jonny called him.

“...not really,” Jonny admits, his voice full of worry. “But he will be.”

There is movement and a gust of wind passes over him as the voice comes from next to Jonny and asks. "Is there anything I can do?"

The person Jonny is protecting is close enough for Tim to smell. Salty like the ocean with a sweetness to it. There's something about that salty sweet scent that reminds Tim of… something. He can't quite put his finger on it though. 

The Monster knows but it smugly refuses to tell him.

**Bastard**.

~~_Weakling_.~~

"Make him keep his distance for a bit? Can smell him..." Tim growls weakly to Jonny. He can feel his bones aching and his muscles straining as he struggles to keep The Monster back since it can smell its prey so close.

“Back away a bit, he can smell you- stay where I can see you though.” Jonny guides Tim’s face to rest against his shoulder, muffling the scent of ~~_the prey little rabbit_~~ the Witch with his own.

Tim takes a deep breath, letting Jonny's familiar scent wash over him and drown out the Monster's demands. 

He catalogues the individual parts of Jonny's scent according to strength, the process as relaxing as cleaning his guns in his Realm.

Perfectly aged whiskey, because Jonny only ever receives the best alcohol as offerings.

Burnt paper, from stories and songs that are given to temple fires as offerings. 

The desert sand, which he can never shake off even centuries after his Ascension.

The savory scent of Divinity, something that kept the Monster interested because it couldn't kill a God.

Rust, from his harmonica as well as his blood which despite looking like molten gold still tasted and smelled like normal human blood.

Ink, since composing songs and writing stories took ink and lots of it.

Jonny pets his hair, untangling it carefully. With every stroke of his hand through his hair, Tim can feel the tacky sensation of his own blood on him fading away. “... A dying curse, huh.”

It wasn't a question.

"Yeah. Vicious one too. Reinforced with prayers to me as The Soldier." Tim leans into Jonny's touch needily. 

After the Monster's cruelty to his body, Jonny's careful fingers feel heavenly. Once all the blood is gone from his skin and he doesn't feel quite as tender and sore, Jonny makes a thoughtful sound and reclothes him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. Tim half-heartedly grumbles, feeling the absence of his usual coat.

The coat is Tim's though the same way Jonny's belts are his.

Jonny snorts when he adds the coat on, flipping Jonny off as he does so.

"I'm sorry."

The Witch sounds… deeply upset. Which made sense. Blinded as he is, Tim can still feel his kindness and compassion pouring off of him like a waterfall of warm water. 

It is very good at soothing his sore body even more.

“Not your fault,” Jonny says softly. 

Tim knows that tone of voice. 

That's Jonny's I-Am-Moments-Away-From-Asking-Ashes-To-Resurrect-Someone-So-I-Can-Murder-Them-Again-In-Front-Of-You-But-I-Do-Not-Want-To-Scar-You-For-Life voice.

It's a very specfic tione though it's been a while since Tim heard it.

"No need to apologize for people wanting you dead at my hands." Tim adds on, giggling a bit wildly. He is still shaky from the adrenaline and pain and not exactly thinking straight. "Jonny knows how that feels."

He is jostled by Jonny as the other God huffs in joking displeasure.

Tim just grins in the general direction of Jonny's head.

"But they forced The Terror out despite how it hurts you-" The Witch tries to explain.

Damn he's got that survivor's guilt really bad, doesn't he? Tim's heart goes out to him. He knows what a heavy burden survivor's guilt could be.

“That was their choice,” Jonny is saying firmly when Tim checks back into the conversation. 

He decides to interject then. " _I_ don't blame you for it, so relax okay?"

Jonny gently kisses his temple as he hears the Witch sigh and murmur. "Fair enough…"

“...I can make you a better blindfold. Should be able to help with the scent issue, too,” Jonny tells Tim quietly.

He turns in his arms and hugs Jonny tightly. "That would be amazing. Thank you, _mon pissenlit_."

Tim can feel the embarrassment- and was that jealousy? Oooo that was interesting- wafting off of the Witch as Jonny hugs Tim back. 

“Might take a bit to get this right, so get comfortable, _mi cariñe_.” he says as he shifts to sit down properly. He gently shoves Tim’s head down into his lap so that his hands are free.

Tim actually listens to the Monster grumble to distract himself from all the other situations he has been in where Jonny has blindfolded him and pushed his head into his lap.

~~_Disgusting_.~~

**Me having sex or being with Jonny?**

~~_Neither. It's that you let the Other restrain us, blind us, leave us vulnerable to attack._ ~~

**Huh. Forgot you two had a "stamina fight" after I killed the Kaiser…**

~~_We don't speak of the stamina battle, weakling._ ~~

Tim hums and settles on his back with his head in Jonny's lap, focusing on the ticking of Jonny's heart above him to distract himself from the Witch, who he can sense is somewhere nearby.

Jonny starts to hum quietly under his breath as he works. 

Tim can feel the power running from the songs he sings into the threads as he sews. Tim recognizes the tunes as songs about flowers and a love looking for someone lost.

Fuck with his eyes obscured like this he can almost imagine that they're back in their foxhole during the War. He remembers Jonny sewing up their uniforms that had gotten damaged in the latest scuffle while he tried to sleep and Bertie cleaned their guns. He hums softly along as Jonny switches to humming some old familiar tunes from the army.

It takes Tim a few moments to realize that the Witch is also humming along to some of the marching songs. Blinded as he is, he can almost pretend that it's Bertie, humming along with him and Jonny.

Fuck he misses Bertie so much.

A rare feeling of sadness radiates from The Monster. It never knew the man who helped start the seed of what would eventually become it. It was one of the few rare things that they could agree on.

The only indication of time passing for Tim is that the light coming in from the top and bottom of the belt changes. It shifts from the red gold of the summer sunset to the familiar pale glow of Jonny's Divine light.

Eventually, he nudges Tim to sit up. He grumbles playfully as he turns around to face Jonny.

“ **Eyes closed** ,” he Orders him.

Tim closes his eyes despite The Monster sulking at him for it. "Ready."

Jonny removes his belt and gently replaces it with the blindfold. The fabric is very soft and warm against his skin. Tim can feel the edges clinging to his skin, tingling with Jonny's magic.

Jonny knots it securely behind his head and asks. “How’s that? No light?”

Tim smiles and shakes his head. He reaches up and feels for Jonny's cheeks. "It's much better. Thanks, Jonny." He leans in to kiss him gently.

The Witch cautiously asks. "C-Can I come closer now?"

Tim thinks for a moment before looking in his general direction. "I think so. We might as well test it."

Jonny keeps a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “Yeah, let's give it a shot.”

Tim can hear the Witch as he carefully moves closer, close enough that Tim can feel his body heat. 

He sees nothing even when he opens his eyes. He smells flowers ( _poppies and yarrow and… was that honeysuckle_?) instead of the Witch's salty-sweet scent. The Monster stays mostly quiet in his head aside from a soft grumble of displeasure at being thwarted.

"It seems to be working. Pitch black and can't smell him. Monster isn't pleased with what's going on but it's rarely happy anyway."

~~_We would be happier if we were allowed to hunt our prey._ ~~

**Well you can't. So deal with it.**

“Of course it's working, I made it,” Jonny says, but his relief is clear in his voice and Tim is willing to bet he looks relieved too. "Can't be removed by you and only another God can remove it." 

Tim chuckles dryly. "Yeah, don't want a random stranger suddenly removing it."

Jonny hums in agreement and then suddenly claps his hands, startling him and the Witch if the twitch to his side meant anything.

“Speaking of strangers! Time for introductions!" Jonny gently takes his wrist and pushes his hand towards the Witch. "Right, then! Brian, this is Tim. He's an asshole but I tolerate him. Tim, this is Brian. He's actually nice to me unlike you.”

The Witch- Brian carefully takes his hand and shakes it. "It's nice to meet you, uh, Tim?"

Tim laughs and shoves Jonny good-naturedly with his free hand as he returns the shake. "Pleasure to meet you properly, Brian. Sorry about the whole…" He waves vaguely around. "You know... _that_ mess."

"It's okay. Your claws didn't go that deep into my arm. It's already stopped bleeding." Brian says as he releases Tim's hand.

Tim can feel that Jonny is frowning and he shifts so that he can grab Brian’s arm to check it more closely.

"It's okay, Jonny. Really it is." Brian seems to be trying a bit too hard to brush it off.

Tim frowns and asks. "Is it really, Jonny? The Monster has some really sharp claws."

He can feel The Monster preening in his head. 

**Not a compliment you know.**

~~_We know that. It's still the truth._ ~~

“Could be worse. It's healing up already,” Jonny admits, “But that doesn’t mean that it’s fine.”

"The Scientist..." Brian hesitates.

Tim's whole attention is on him now. Raphaella was connected to him? That would certainly explain the accusations of witchcraft and the speedy healing-

"She made me immortal, but she told me that I was only unable to be killed by mortal means."

Tim is frozen in shock. _He had been compelled to kill an immortal that Raphaella had made_. 

Fuck. **Fuck**. **_Fuck_**.

Raphaella would have flayed him alive if he had succeeded.

She would have flayed him and then tested all kinds of new acids on his exposed muscles.

Even the Monster is shocked at this knowledge.

_~~We could taste the Divinity in the little rabbit's blood. That’s what made it so good.~~ _

**Do you still want to kill him?**

~~_We do not want to kill something that_ **_she_ ** _has touched so thoroughly. The prayer will compel us to do so anyway._~~

**Fuck.**

"I could have definitely killed you then." Tim solemnly says out loud.

He can tell that Jonny is attempting to suppress his panic as he angrily says. "See, Brian?! That's the opposite of fucking fine!"

"He didn't hit me anywhere vital so it's okay!" Brian tries to soothe them both.

Tim is not so easily soothed, especially with The Monster confirming his fears. "If Jonny had shown up a few seconds later, I would have choked you to death. You're lucky that The Monster likes to toy with its prey and watch them suffer."

~~_We also love watching you suffer, weakling_.~~

**I know that, but he already feels guilty about you taking control, so I'm not telling him that**. 

~~_Spoilsport_.~~

“Gimme your coat, I’m updating the wards right this fucking second.” Jonny harshly says after making a soft noise like he had been punched in the gut.

He can hear Brian sigh and he takes off his coat with minimal wincing. It brushes against Tim's shoulder as he hands it over to Jonny. He can't smell Brian's scent on it but he can smell the rusted scent of blood on the coat.

Jonny leans against Tim’s side as he starts working furiously, the scent of blood vanishing. This close Tim can hear Jonny muttering about a "self-sacrificing idiot" and a "kind-hearted fool" as well as a string of foul words that he knows are meant for The Monster.

~~_We don't like the Other either_.~~

**Uh-huh. Sure you don't.**

Brian shifts about unsurely before asking. "A-Ah... T-Tim? Can I... Would you mind if I h-held your hand?"

Tim is surprised at the offer. He looks in Brian's direction and shrugs.

"I suppose that's fine?"

Brian gently takes his hand in his own and squeezes it. 

Tim smiles softly at him, returning the squeeze.

~~_Disgusting._ ~~

**Shut up you.**

~~_Make me weakling_.~~

He can feel a power pulsing through Brian and he instinctively compares it to the rest of the Pantheon’s powers. 

Jonny's own powers leave Tim with pins and needles in his extremities, like he slept on them weird. Nastya's powers feel as cold and as sharp as shards of ice in his veins while Aurora's make him feel like he's being trapped under something heavy. Ashes' powers make him feel sweaty and overheated, not in a good way, more like when he used to get a fever. For some weird reason, Ivy's powers leave him dizzy with adrenaline, as if he has narrowly avoided getting caught doing something he shouldn't have. 

( ** _Her_ ** _powers had made him feel sick to his stomach, and made his teeth and gums hurt. Getting rid of her was another one of the few things he and The Monster could agree on._ )

When he first met Raphaella, he had felt weightless and even now her powers give him a swooping feeling in his chest and stomach like he is sledding down a mountain. Marius’ powers on the other hand- heh the other _hand_ \- make his whole body tingle as if an enormous cat has laid down next to him and started purring.

Brian's powers though?

They feel soft and warm like a heated blanket being wrapped around him. 

It’s… comforting...

Eventually, Jonny audibly cuts a thread and he shoves the coat back at Brian. He doesn’t get up afterwards, though, instead struggling to get his own vest off without moving away from Tim.

Tim lifts his shoulder off of Jonny's but keeps their thighs touching to assure himself that Jonny wasn't going anywhere.

Tim feels Brian reluctantly releasing his hand. The warm comforting feeling of his powers vanishes too, leaving him cold and alone. 

"Thank you Jonny." Brian says softly as there is a shuffling sound as he pulls his coat back on.

Tim is surprised when Brian carefully takes hold of his hand again once his coat is back on, the warmth returning with the gesture.

Jonny grunts in acknowledgment as he starts stitching something onto his vest.

Brian's hand squeezes his as he breaks the resulting silence. "That song that Jonny sang to you... It sounded... Familiar." 

Tim shrugs. "It's an old song from the shores. A… a childhood friend of mine liked to sing it to me to help lull me to sleep."

He leans against Jonny, who starts humming Siúil a Rúin again. The Monster hisses in displeasure- it's too soon for the song to be sung again in The Monster's opinion- but otherwise stays quiet.

Brian's thumb rubs gently over his knuckles as he muses. "I think I knew someone that loved that song too."

"Huh..."

Tim wonders why he can feel so much sadness coming from Brian at that admission as well as… confusion?

Jonny finally finishes his embroidery with a sigh. "Right, then." He pulls his vest back on and Tim can feel him tugging it into place. "So! Brian! Next time someone's attacking you - especially a non-mortal like The Terror- just tap that and I'll know."

"Tap what?" Brian asks. Tim can hear the teasing smile on his face. "You?"

Tim snorts and hides a smile. He really likes Brian. Despite being scared of them, he pushes past his fear to be kind to them and joke with them.

The Monster is begrudgingly amused as well.

~~_This little rabbit has fangs._ ~~

**You like Brian?**

~~_We like anyone that is not always scared of the Other._ ~~

**That's true...**

Tim can tell that Jonny is rolling his eyes by how his shoulders brush against Tim's and he can feel the heat of him blushing. "The sigil, Brian. On your coat sleeve. That I just sewed there."

Brian sounds amused as he says. "Of course, Jonny."

Tim laughs and teases. "Jonny's actually a sweetheart when you get to know him, isn't he?"

"Lies and slander." Jonny has that tone in his voice that means he's secretly happy about something. Probably the fact that they are getting along.

Tim laughs at him harder, ignoring how Jonny pinches his side for his teasing.

"He really is." Brian's voice is soft and warm with laughter. Tim can feel his power swelling with his joy. 

"Don't believe a word he tells you." Tim semi-seriously tells Brian.

Jonny is the Storyteller for a reason and that is that he's a good liar. He'll act as though something isn't bothering him when it is. He also doesn't tend to tell the whole truth if he thinks it will make a situation worse.

Jonny huffs before loudly saying. "...anyway! Hate to bring the mood down, Tim, but the fuck are we going to do about the compulsion?"

Tim can feel Brian's power wanes, the warmth turning cold as guilt slips in again.

Tim squeezes his hand gently and says quietly. "There has to be a way to end it."

Brian's power comes back as tentative as the sunshine in winter. He returns the squeeze timidly.

Jonny kisses Tim's temple and sighs deeply. “There's a Story unfolding here… and... well… it looks like we’ve got a proper Quest on our collective hands.”

"A Quest?" Brian echoes. He sounds worried at the idea. "Any thoughts on where we need to go?"

"Oh boy, a Quest. Been a while since I've been in one." Tim has dealt with Quests before. Never been the subject of one though. Only ever a guide for a Quest. "How long is this going to take do you think?"

Jonny shrugs and sighs. “However long it takes us to meander over to wherever Ivy’s been holed up recently, I suspect."

Tim hums in agreement. 

Quests are always rambling things, and attempting to put a timeframe on one is doomed to fail. Quests that have to be completed in a certain amount of time, like by the solstice or by the next new moon, never fare well for anyone involved.

Brian sounds confused as he asks. "Ivy? Who's that?"

"She's a very dear mutual friend." Tim smiles at him before turning to Jonny. "You think that Ivy can fix this?"

“If anyone can fix it or at the very least be able to tell us how to fix it, it’ll be her,” Jonny says confidently. Tim likes that he sounds confident about this. He's probably Seen something in Brian's Story that gives him hope. “She’s not called the Knowledgeable for nothing, after all.”

Brian inhales sharply, squeezing Tim's hand tightly. "The Knowledgeable!? You mean The Archivist?!"

"Oh, is that what they're calling her now?" Tim asks, musing on the title. 

_~~The Wyrm hoards books and you wonder why the mortals call her Archivist?~~ _

**They could've gone with The Librarian! Librarians hoard books too!**

~~_Librarians are expected to share knowledge freely. Archivists do not have to do anything, but hoard knowledge._ ~~

"Although if we're going to her, there's probably going to be another stop either before or afterwards. She's more Knowing stuff than doing stuff." Tim continues as if his internal exchange with The Monster never happened.

“Fair enough, I suppose. Still, she’s a fair better shot than anything else I can think of.” Jonny hums.

Tim can feel Brian's shock rippling through his powers. Tim squeezes his hand again and shrugs. "It's not like I have any better ideas."

“Brian? It’s your Quest. Does that sound like a plan to you?” Jonny asks.

"My-? It... Makes sense?" Brian slowly says, obviously trying to process things still. "The Archivist Knows things that no one else does."

"That she does. Try not to be too impressed when you meet her? It goes to her _head_." Tim jokes, nudging Jonny. 

He grins when he feels Jonny shake with concealed laughter next to him.

“She’s a fucking nerd,” Jonny scoffs once he's recovered from his laughing fit. 

It's a fond sort of scoff. The kind where someone doesn't want to admit that they would do anything to save the other. Tim knows that most of the Pantheon with a few exceptions get that tone used referring to them.

"As if you aren't a nerd in your own way, Jonny ‘The Storyteller’." Brian teases him. It almost feels like he’s getting bolder with his teasing now that Tim is here.

Tim still laughs as Jonny huffs in mock annoyance. 

**Brian's going to get on great with the others once he stops being in awe of them all.**

~~_The rabbit has known the Other for a month and has a better grasp on him than you did after 3 or 4 years of warfare together_.~~

**… yeah you're not wrong about that…**

~~_That is not an insult weakling. Just an observation._ ~~

Either way, Tim is already becoming pretty fond of Brian. Anyone who gets Jonny this well can't be too bad.

"We should get back to the encampment." Jonny softly says.

"That is true. Do you need any help getting up, Sold- I mean, Tim?"

Tim really appreciates Brian trying to use his name instead of his title. "I'm fine." He squeezes his hand again before letting it go. "No offense, but unless Jonny is touching me as well, I'd rather you keep your distance for now. Jonny's work is exceptional, but it can fail if a particularly good Story rears its head."

Jonny takes and squeezes Tim's other hand. "I think you'd best stick with us for a bit though Tim."

Tim can hear Brian softly say. "Fair enough." 

"Thanks. I look forward to meeting you properly when this is all resolved." He smiles at Brian as he is helped to his feet by Jonny.

“I-I look forward to it as well?” Brian sounds a little unsure.

Jonny hums softly in agreement and leads them back through the woods to their encampment...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ The Monster and Tim's relationship is like Eddie Brock and Venom but without the romantic subtext
> 
> ~ mi cariñe is Spanish for my darling (e is a gender neutral ending)
> 
> ~ mon pissenlit is my dandelion in French (sorry if that's wrong at all Google Translate is a bitch)
> 
> ~ The stamina battle that The Monster speaks of was a bet between Jonny and it. Basically Jonny bet that if it could outlast him, it could kill him. if it lost it couldn't kill him. Jonny won. ;3
> 
> ~ Jonny initially hums [Flowers from Hadestown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVy9WaTzTiA) while sewing the blindfold though he moves on to various marching songs


	5. At The End Of These Dreadful Fantasies, I Hope The Sun Will Rise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW  
> \- Graphic Desciption of injuries/Death caused by a necrotic spell (Microwave Attacks are not pretty)  
> \- Suicidal Thoughts/Actions (Tim takes Bertie's death badly)  
> \- Altered States of Mind/Memory Blackouts (Tim doesn't remember changing into The Terror at first)  
> \- Self Harm and Eye Trauma (Tim gouges out his own eyes)  
> \- Body Horror (No physical transformations but Tim's body contorts a bit farther than a normal person's can)

Brian can't stop looking at The Soldier- Tim, Jonny had said his name is- as they head back towards the encampment. 

The path back is lit by both of the Gods, who glow in the summer night as they walk through the darkened woods. It is a bit worrying to Brian that Tim's glow is definitely dimmer than Jonny's. 

He can't stop looking at their clasped hands and how Tim leans on Jonny despite how Jonny is smaller than him by at least half a foot.

It had been a bit embarrassing to witness, but he was also a bit jealous while he watched Jonny cradle him close in comfort despite The Soldier's nakedness at the time. 

Brian had moved downwind from him at Jonny's quiet suggestion so that he couldn't be smelled and that seemed to help settle Tim down. He found himself aching with want, watching Jonny run his fingers through the other God's long tangled and blood matted hair. He wished that could be him that Jonny touched with such care… 

No. 

Stop.

Focus, you touch-starved fool.

Even though he was expecting it, he was still amazed seeing the blood vanish not only from his hair but also his rapidly healing skin with every slow and gentle touch that he leaned into. 

Once Jonny was done magically cleaning him up, he had clothed Tim in a rather eclectic collection of new clean clothes. 

Firstly there was the black dress shirt with carefully embroidered vines and flowers on it in white thread. This was accompanied by a geometrically patterned tie in some of the brightest oranges and blues he had ever seen. His long legs looked longer in a pair of pinstriped pants with bright red suspenders to hold them up as well as a red-purple sash wrapped around his waist. Unsurprisingly, Jonny had given him a pair of worn but well maintained military boots. One stroke of his hand in particular held Tim's hair back out of his face with a set of goggles that oddly seemed to have only one lense.

Once clothed, Tim had grumbled something, and flipped Jonny off as a long tan coat that Brian recognized from the murals and painting of The Soldier appeared on him to cap off the whole wild ensemble. 

Jonny, then sat for hours as the sun set, sewing a blindfold to hide Brian from Tim.

When the light faded, Jonny and Tim both had started glowing instead, shining their combined Divine light onto the dark fabric that Jonny was putting gold, ruby, and emerald threads into. 

It was mesmerizing watching him sew and hum- ~~_the one he's friends with would sing along with the one he's related to as the one he's friends with sewed, and he would play guitar and the one he knows kept time by tapping their pawed hands on their thighs- a flash of gold and he forgets-_~~ and he was surprised when The Soldier started humming along with Jonny.

He tentatively joined in on some of the songs he recognized and was pleased that Tim had relaxed further.

Then Jonny had replaced the belt around his head with the finished blindfold and, with Tim's agreement, beckoned Brian closer.

Brian's heart hurt seeing The Soldier in pain as he turned his handsome- fuck why were all the Gods he had met so far handsome it was really distracting- face towards him.

He was not what Brian had been expecting from a God of Passion and Revenge and Warfare.

He didn't blame Brian at all for being the focus that forced him to become The Terror. Tim was just as concerned that he had hurt him as Jonny was even though it barely hurt anymore and it was healing up fine. He even seemed grateful that Brian had offered to hold his hand while Jonny sewed new wards into his coat.

Brian jolts out of his memories hearing Jonny hum a bit of a song and a campfire sprang to life in the firepit, the clearing clear of debris. The pair of Gods stop glowing as soon as the fire is lit, everything around them dimming to the flickering oranges of the fire. Brian retrieves his bag and lays out his bedroll as Jonny helps Tim sit down on top of a blanket that he obviously just summoned for him.

"You okay? I can get you something-"

"I'm fine, Jonny. Stop fussing."

Brian smiles at their bickering. There is no real animosity in their insults which they throw back and forth at each other.

_~~He had bickered like that with the person he is related to and the person that he knows. There was no harm in the insults that they threw at each other, just the fondness of being raised together and knowing exactly what buttons to press. The one he is friends with just stood by, shaking their head as they laughed at the squabblingtrio- a flash of gold and the memory passes-~~ _

Brian sits down and starts pulling out some cans of soup out of his bag. He opens them and pours them into a pot to heat over the fire, murmuring a prayer of thanks to the Burning One. He notices Tim looking in his direction when he opens the cans, but he doesn't stop bickering with Jonny.

There are… A lot of jokes being thrown at Jonny about some sort of… stamina battle between Jonny and The Terror?

Whatever that means, it's making Jonny blush more than a girl who has been asked out on The Lovers' feast day by her crush. Brian lets himself have a bittersweet moment, remembering going to the festivities with Nessa on the feast days since they were both alone. He remembers the last one how she had kissed his forehead after they got home-

He pauses as something occurs to him and he waits for a lull in their bickering before asking. "Jonny?"

"Yes Brian?" Jonny immediately breaks off the conversation as he looks over at him. Beside him, Tim makes a motion with his head as if he's rolling his eyes, though he's still smiling. 

"Weren't you in the middle of answering a prayer when you came back to…" He gestures vaguely at himself.

Jonny looks at him blankly before jolting to his feet and shouting. "OH SHIT, I FORGOT ABOUT HUGO!"

Brian winces and he can see Tim flinch at his sudden shout.

Jonny looks between them worried. "But… I don't want to leave you two here alone…"

"We'll be fine." Tim says, rubbing his hand over one ear, with a sigh. "Go finish meeting with your Warlock."

Jonny frowns and looks from him to Brian, who nods in agreement, smiling at him.

"You put new enchantments in my coat remember?" He presses a hand to the sleeve that Jonny had repaired.

The sigil under his hand glows and he watches as Jonny hisses, twisting and arching his back in an attempt to escape the burning sigil on the back of his vest.

"Okay, okay! Point proven!" Jonny whines.

Brian smiles and removes his hand from the sigil, making both of them go inert.

Jonny bites his lip, looking at him before softly saying. "I'll be back as soon as possible okay?"

Brian nods at him reassuringly. He blinks and Jonny's gone.

Leaving him alone with Tim.

Brian swallows and goes back to heating up the soup for them to share. They sit in a tense silence until Tim breaks it with a question.

"What sort of design did he put on the blindfold?"

Brian looks over at him. He seems genuinely interested in the answer.

“It’s black silk with intricate patterns in red, green, and gold thread.” Brian tells him. "There's a golden sun over each of your eyes. Running down your nose between them are bright red poppies and golden yellow yarrow sprigs intertwined. All along the edges above and below the suns are yellow honeysuckle vines in full bloom."

As Brian describes each part, Tim runs his fingertips over them. He smiles at Brian once he's done.

"Thanks. Jonny makes a lot of things for us so it's always interesting to see what he makes."

"Does… does he make things for anyone?" Brian asks quietly. The repairs that Jonny has made to his coat suddenly feel like a hundred pounds.

Tim hums, tilting his head. "Not just anyone. Mostly the rest of the Pantheon and people that are Blessed by him." 

"Like the Warlock you two were talking about?"

"Blessed are a bit different than Warlocks, but yeah like Hugo." Tim chuckles with a shrug. "Hugo is one of his first Warlocks if I recall correctly. He had worshippers and there were a bunch of Blessed I'm sure, but he only really got Warlocks after I Ascended."

"Why is that?"

Tim hums thoughtfully for a few moments. His hands fidget with the tie around his neck as he thinks. Eventually, he says. "Because She wouldn't let them have Warlocks. Something about Her not 'wanting to burden them' though Ivy says that it was one of many ways that She restricted their growth as Gods."

Brian recalls the distant look on Jonny's face back in Shiz when he off-handedly mentioned The Bloody One and he feels angry and sad for the early Pantheon again. Deciding to change subjects slightly, he curiously asks. "Do you have any? Warlocks I mean."

"Eh. A few. Not as many as Ivy for example, but she has them as eyes and ears everywhere, in order to Know as much as possible. I think that Briar Rose is the most well known of mine." Tim shrugs.

Brian knows of the infamous Briar Rose, a magical clone that decimated the mad tyrant King Cole's armies of Rosies that she defected from. She had been assisted by the original Rose Red and her love Cinders and the rebellion that was led by Rose's sister, Snow. Cinders had been the one to kill King Cole but it was Briar that had been the one to lead the charge into the castle.

"Yeah… I have heard of her." Brian says after a few moments.

"Jonny really liked her too. She was one we could share. Revenge and Vengeance blur together sometimes after all." 

"Like with The Terror hunting me?"

Tim stops smiling at the question. Brian curses himself for letting it slip out. 

"... Yeah. Like The Terror hunting you." Tim quietly says. He reaches up to touch the blindfold, tracing over the suns again. He hums softly, his hand dropping back into his lap. "Do you know how it came to be? The Terror I mean?" 

Brian frowns and admits. "Not exactly? Jonny hasn't gotten around to telling me the true story behind him yet. I know from the tales that there was something about how the dying prayers of the Moon Kaiser's men caused him to manifest?"

Tim hums again thoughtfully, hands tapping on his knees. "Divide out some of that soup and I'll tell you the real story about it."

Brian looks at the pot of now heated soup and nods. After ladling out some for each of them, they lapse into silence, only broken by Tim asking for more- and he ate most of the soup in the pot which didn't surprise Brian at all since The Terror didn't seem like the type to consume mortal food- until the God is done eating. He wipes his mouth on the back of one hand and sets aside the empty bowl as Brian covers the remainder for Jonny when he got back. 

He taps his hands on his knees again, obviously thinking.

Eventually, he starts to speak. 

He isn't as good a storyteller as Jonny, but Brian still entranced by his words nonetheless…

~0.0~

My best friend, Bertie, was a born Shifter. His Da was a Werewolf and his Pa was a human, so Bertie could become a wolf-human hybrid if he wanted to. Because of this, he healed quick and could get into all kinds of scrapes that I wouldn't be able to survive. 

Like there was one time, some dickheads that were sore from a lost bet between us tried stabbing me, but Bertie took the blow in his side for me before he knocked their lights out.

Ended up with a scar the size of my hand on his ribs and he was always a bit stiff on that side whenever the weather turned foul for years afterwards.

Also had scars from other wild stunts. Like he had a scar on his forehead from attempting to put his face through a table. Or how he burned the inside of his mouth so bad it scarred from stuffing his cheeks with these really really sour candies.

Yeah he was a wild person to hang out with.

He was a madlad that would take practically any bet for a laugh and some gold coins.

When we were 17, war between the Britons and the Lunar kingdom broke out and we were conscripted.

Well. 

Bertie was conscripted. I enlisted beside him because…

Because...

We didn't… it never even crossed our minds to think about the possibility of either of us dying. We didn't think of anything besides fighting together, surviving the war together.

We just cared about staying together. 

We were alone together in the 42nd Starborne Infantry for a year before Jonny and TS- The Toy Soldier that is- were transferred into our division.

I don't… exactly remember when it happened. Just that one day, a few years after our first meeting- ask Jonny about that sometime, it's hilarious in retrospect- I realized that we weren't just Tim-and-Bertie anymore. We were now suddenly Tim-and-Bertie-and-Jonny-and-TS.

We had other people looking out for us. Jonny would repair our uniforms when they got too ragged and whenever TS was around it would make tea for us out of any plants it could get its wooden hands on. Jonny talked us out of a number of tight spots with some dicks that didn't like how close we all were and TS was always happy to be included in our huddles for warmth during those frigid nights in camp. 

……… 

… Jonny… he will tell you that it's his fault that Bertie died. 

Don't believe him when he does.

Bertie- Bertie made a choice. 

No one forced him to do anything against his will.

You see at the time, we didn't _know_ that Jonny was a God in hiding. We just thought he had some sort of accelerated healing thing going on like Bertie did. Bertie had shoved him and me out of the way of spells before.

But… not even accelerated healing can't stand up to the force of a necrotic spell.

It was something the Kaiser's mages had brewed, made up special for the War. I dunno what they called it on their side. Frankly I don't want to know either. We... We called it The Microwave Attack. It was a gruesome spell that not only inflicted new wounds on a person, it also generated enough heat to cook them alive. 

It also reopened old wounds too. All the scars that he had, all the past injuries Bertie had ever received, they just… opened up, almost simultaneously. 

The knife injury from the lost bet. The scar on his forehead from trying to break a table with his face. The insides of his mouth from where the candy burned them. A puncture scar where he had broken an arm falling from a tree and the bone had poked through before he met me. Every single blade cut and bullet wound from every battle we'd been in so far that he had shrugged off before with a laugh or a snarl.

They all just split open like he was a cloth bag that had been overfilled to the point of bursting. 

I can still remember the smell of cooking flesh, his skin fever hot and getting hotter. I can remember the sizzle of his own fat burning and the bubbling of the blood leaking out of him. I- fuck- I remember that there- there was so much blood and his skin was bubbling from the heat so badly I could barely recognize him towards the end.

… He bled out there, on the battlefield before he could die from being cooked alive.

Thank the Gods for small mercies right?

There was nothing we could do to stop it. Not for a lack of trying on my part. None of the healing potions I had on me were working. The Kaiser's mages knew their craft too well. Jonny… he was hiding from The Bloody One and so he couldn't do any miracles to save him unless he wanted to draw her attention to him. TS was long gone, maintaining the Balance of the War, as I now know.

I remember that it took Jonny and two other people to pull me away from his body.

Do you know what the last thing Bertie said to us was? The last thing he managed to gurgle before he started choking on his own blood?

" **S** **tay safe** Tim. I love you."

… I remember feeling numb at first. Bertie had been in my life since we were like… 8 or 9 years old? We had been dating since we were 15. We were… we were always together.

I…

I didn't want to stay away from him…

So…

I lead the next push forward about three hours later to try and reclaim ground.

I should have died.

I didn't.

All their bullets missed me. Blades swung at me deflected as if hitting a wall and bouncing off. Spells parted around me like a river being divided by a rock.

I was angry and confused.

Why couldn't I just die and enter the Halls and rejoin Bertie?

Even as my cheeks grew warm with blood from the Kaiser's men- as I slaughtered platoon after platoon hoping that this one would be it, this one will be the one to put me out of my misery- my heart just grew colder.

Jonny told me later that the actions of me killing people and the prayers sent to Hades when I killed the Kaiser's men had warped a protective prayer that Bertie had put on me. 

Bertie wanted me to be safe.

So I was.

I was safe, but I also was becoming a Monster in the process.

The first time that it emerged, I thought I had passed out. One moment I was singing a song of slaughter- a song of vengeance that I wrote and dedicated to the Melodious, to Jonny. The next moment, I was standing still, ankle deep in corpses and I was practically naked- my uniform hung in shreds off of me- and absolutely covered in blood.

None of it, to my dismay, was mine.

It started happening more and more after that. I suppose I should have been dreading what was happening to me. I was just… so tired. 

I didn't care anymore.

Then one day, I heard a voice in my head as things started to get fuzzy as they were prone to do now before I blacked out.

_We realize we've been rude. We have not let you see the beautiful carnage that we create together. Let us show you, feeble creature, how powerful we are._

… You know how you'll have nightmares about doing horrible things, but it's not you who is in control of your actions?

That's what it was like.

I was able to see and hear and smell and taste and feel everything that the Monster could but I was unable to stop it. 

It didn't kill only the Kaiser's men. It killed other Britons too. My own people fell just as frequently to its claws like wheat before a sickle.

It didn't look like it does now. It was more draconic back then. I had claws and fangs and horns and scales and tattered wings that fell across my back like my coat does. The only thing that has stayed consistent is its tail with its bladed tip.

I was in so much shock and pain that when the battle ended and I changed back, I managed to gain enough control to reach up and try to claw out my- its- our eyes.

It was angry at me for a century and a half after that.

When… When I changed back into me, I remember barely being able to see because I fucked up my eyes so bad. 

I could see just enough to know where the rest of my side had retreated to.

So I fled into the woods in the opposite direction. I couldn't stay with the others anymore. I was a danger to everyone now. I hid there, trying to ignore a voice inside my mind that raged at me for blinding us.

That's how Jonny found me.

Huddled next to a fire, trying to ignore how my head and eyes were throbbing and I wanted, more than anything, to just be freed from this new hell I found myself in.

I couldn't stop myself from changing into the Monster when he confronted me.

If it wasn't for his Divinity, it would have tried to kill him too.

It was startled enough for him to shove it back and make me a God. 

Or well at least give me a Seed of Divinity so I could become a God. 

Took winning the War for me to properly Ascend to Godhood.

When I did, The Monster stayed a part of me, but now I can control it to a degree. 

Perk of being worshipped is that whatever the mortals believe about you aside from your personality?

That's how you are.

And the mortals believe the Monster, the Terror, to be a part of me and so it is. And that's why the Terror exists.

~0.0~

Brian is crying as Tim concludes his story. He sniffles loudly, wiping away his tears and rubbing at his runny nose.

"Shit…" Tim had slowly moved closer to Brian over the course of the story and now is trying to help him wipe away his tears. "I didn't mean to make you cry…"

Brian shakes his head and takes his hand, squeezing it. "I-It's okay. I just… I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Tim seems surprised and touched by Brian saying that so he continues.

"I know it was probably hundreds of years ago at this point, but I- I think if he was still here, he'd be happy that you and Jonny and… TS? TS are all okay and still together."

Tim's breath catches at his words. He swallows and squeezes Brian's hand. "T-Thank you Brian. I… I think he would be happy about that." He snorts and says quietly. "Heh... knowing him, he wouldn't stop teasing me about being with the others too. He would totally ignore that he would probably be falling for them too."

"What are they like from your perspective? The others I mean." Brian asks. "Jonny has told me a bit about them but he is a bit of a biased narrator…"

Tim laughs at that and gives Brian's hand another gentle squeeze before reluctantly releasing his hand.

"Who do you want to hear about?"

"Maybe start with… TS? Is that what you called The Toy Soldier?"

"Jonny is the one that came up with the nickname actually…" Tim sighs, thinking. He finally says. "I was wary of TS at first. A wooden construct that obeys any order given to it, to the letter? That was a slaughter just begging to happen."

Brian tilts his head curiously. "What changed your mind?"

Tim smiles softly looking in his general direction. "Jonny. He taught me how to request things from TS without making it an order and TS informed me that Jonny had ordered it to ignore certain types of orders."

"Like what?"

"Hurting children for example. Orders that would make it force itself to do... things and orders that would let people other people… do things to it." He makes a vague gesture with his hand that leaves Brian horrified by the implications of an order forcing it to assault others or allowing others to assault it. "Yeah, you get the picture. Jonny sat down with me and it and had us talk things out."

"Huh… Jonny really cares for you all doesn't he?" Brian softly says.

Tim goes quiet, a strange twist to his lips as if he's trying not to say something that he really wants to say. Eventually he slowly speaks. "Yeah. He's not… good at showing it? The Bloody One apparently liked to manipulate him with his feelings. It's why it took him so long to admit that he loved us."

Brian frowns at that. "The more I hear about Her, the more I am glad She's gone."

Tim's responding grin has far too many and too sharp of teeth. Brian instinctively edges back as a faint echo enters his voice.

" _You can thank us for that. The Other is ours. Only we are allowed to torment him_."

Brian swallows. "T-The Other? You mean Jonny?"

" _Yessss_." Tim- or is it The Terror right now? He still mostly looks like Tim even if his voice and mouth are not the same- licks his lips, his now forked tongue longer than it should be and purrs. " _He saved the weakling from despair which would have corrupted us more than we already are. He gave us a new purpose, a new goal. He is a worthy mate for us all._ " 

Brian notes that The Terror refers to Tim as "the weakling" and recalls that Tim said he called him "feeble creature" when they first spoke.

Tim's head tilts disturbingly far to the side, until it is almost completely upside-down. " _If it were not for the compulsion spreading its poison through our body, we would have killed your Executioner alongside the Other for you_."

"That's… oddly reassuring…" Brian admits. He bites his lip before asking. "B-Before you go back to… being… wherever you were, Terror… I have a question for you?"

Tim's head snaps back into place as he stares at Brian directly. " _A… question? For me_?" 

He sounds… 

Lost.

It hits him then how lonely The Terror must be. He was made to protect Tim but he was warped into a Monster. He claims to thrive on being feared, but it obviously hurts him to be feared. He was surrounded by people who couldn't be hurt by him, but he was so alone.

"Y-Yes… I…" He took a breath to steel himself. "I wanted to know if you're happy like this."

The Terror pulls back as if Brian had hit him instead.

Brian's heart aches at the bursts of emotions that flicker across his face. 

Anger. Confusion. Suspicion. Fear. Sadness. Faint hope.

Finally, his face is schooled into one of polite indifference. " _Why does it matter if we're happy_?"

"Because… You're your own being, right?" Brian points out. "You have your own thoughts and preferences and memories and feelings separate from Tim's. So I would like to know if you, The Terror, are happy."

The mask of indifference cracks briefly, and Brian just gets a throbbing sensation not unlike that of a heartbeat in his mind. 

A repetition of a single word.

**_Lone-ly_ **

**_Lone-ly_ **

**_Lone-ly_ **

**_Lone-ly_ **

" _We… **I** suppose I am_?" The Terror awkwardly says. His head jerks one way and then another as if he's stretching his neck. His head moves farther to either side over each shoulder than humanly possible. " _It's not like we- like **I** have many experiences to use as a comparison_."

Brian nods and softly says. "Okay…" He yawns and mumbles. "Just need to get you to experience new things…"

The Terror huffs softly and reaches over to push Brian down onto his bedroll with a firm hand. " _Just sleep before the Other gets back and fakes being angry at you for it._ "

Brian chuckles and curls up under his blanket. "Thank you Terror. I'll-" He yawns and blinks slowly at him. "I'll do that… now…" 

He yawns again and his eyes slowly drift closed.

The _**lone-ly-lone-ly-lone-ly**_ beat is still there as he enters The Baron's realm but it is lessened now, muted.

His last coherent thought is soft and warm.

_He just needed someone to talk to. They both did. I'm glad I could help them..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Tim's shirt more or less looks like [this](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0UAAAOSwGN5ZyjpP/s-l400.jpg) while his tie is [one of Ivy's.](https://www.flickr.com/photos/elemg42/7302338810/in/album-72157633164391822/)  
> ~ On that note, I know Tim's whole outfit is a bit eclectic but it's all made of clothes from the other Gods that he has a particularly close relationship to (shirt from Jonny, pants/suspenders from Ashes, tie from Ivy, boots from TS, sash from Raph, and monoggle from Marius)  
> ~ poppies as previously established are remembrance, yarrow represents good health/healing/protection/love, honeysuckle means happiness/ fraternal or devoted affection/a lover's embrace  
> ~ My portayal of Bertie in looks/personality is based off of the amazingly talented, supremely kind, and gut-bustingly hilarious [ Jeremy Dooley](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/roosterteeth/images/5/51/Jeremy_CHUMP.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/728?cb=20191212010933) from Achievement Hunter  
> ~ The MadLad incidents with the attempted table breaking and sour candies stuffed into his mouth are actual things that Jeremy did and you can find them [here (The face through the table)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2r4cpLzM9w) and [here (the mouthful of forbidden candies)!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el9LwZ7NfBs)  
> ~ The blindfold means that The Terror cannot act upon the compulsion to kill Brian. HOWEVER! It can still communicate through Tim when the need arises!  
> ~ More foreshadowing!! :D


	6. Epilogue: Powerful Eyes Watch All The Time

The Halls of Hades are expansive but never completely filled with Souls. 

The onyx ceiling is held up by elegant columns of jet and obsidian. They are reflected in the polished black marble floor and the ceiling giving them the impression of the Halls stretching out endlessly overhead and below your feet.

There are engravings filled with gold and precious stones glittering on the columns and the walls. Images of the events that lead up to The Glittering One gaining their Godhood as well as other important events in their existence.

They lift their cigar to their lips and contemplate the Soul in their hand.

This Soul, only a month or so old, is marked as a dangerous one. 

A plume of smoke rises from their lips as they exhale slowly. The smoke never makes it to the ceiling, disappearing in midair instead. They examine the Soul carefully, noting that D'Ville is the one that marked it as dangerous.

Interesting.

Must've really pissed Jonny off to earn a dangerous label.

A closer inspection tells them why.

Their resulting smirk is not unlike that of a cat that has caught not only the canary but also found a jug of fresh cream as well.

"Oh? So you summoned The Terror to strike down an innocent man, huh? That's strike one against you." They tell the Soul in their palm. 

They pause to take another drag from their cigar and blow the smoke at the Soul squirming in their grip. 

"The fact that it was against Raphaella's new immortal? Well that's strike two."

Their fingers tighten around it, talons digging deep into it as an ephemeral voice that only they can hear wails in agony.

"Add on that this immortal may join Us in Our Pantheon on top of all that? Strike three."

They tilt their head, resting their chin against the heel of their hand holding the cigar.

"These are some serious crimes."

They pause, listening to the Soul attempt to beg and plead with them for mercy.

Their smirk widens into a wide grin, lined with razor sharp teeth. Golden jewelry shimmers in the light of the braziers lining the room, swaying from dark red horns that emerge from their hairline as they lift the Soul to their face. Smoldering golden eyes with slit pupils focus on the trembling Soul in their palm like a laser.

"Perhaps… we could make a deal...?" 


End file.
